Category: Middle Grade

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BOOK REVIEW: THE ARK PLAN, Book #1 in Laura Martin’s EDGE OF EXTINCTION Series

It’s actually rather difficult to find a good middle grade adventure book featuring dinosaurs. So when I stumbled onto Laura Martin’s Edge of Extinction series, I was excited to dive in. Discovering it was also a dystopian novel for middle graders ratcheted up the suspense and tension even further.

Sky Mundy has lived her entire life underground, inside a place known clinically as North Compound. Living underground is the only safe place in the world since dinosaurs took back the planet nearly a 150 years ago. But when Sky receives a mysterious message from her missing father, she sets out for Topside — the place where dinosaurs rule and humans run for their lives. Can she find her father? Will she be able to survive long enough? Or will she end up like so many before her: chased down and eaten by dinosaurs?

While at times a bit derivative of Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay, book one in this dinosaur series,The Ark Plan, meanders for the first hundred pages or so before things really start cranking along. Pretty much until Sky gets topside, the book crawls a bit setting up the world and the characters a hair too slowly. But once it gets going, it really gets going and doesn’t let up until the very end of the book.

Speaking of the end of the book, this is not a spoiler, but the story definitely doesn’t “conclude” at the end of this first installment. Some plot details are wrapped up, and there are a few mild surprises along the way, but the most burning questions are not answered. Be prepared to dive into book 2 once you’re done.

One of the most fascinating parts of this book was its discussion of the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark. At times, characters talk about dinosaurs having lived 65 million years ago in the past, but they also acknowledge the existence of the Bible and the story of Noah as possibly being true as well. At first, the story of Noah is used by the villains as a way to control the population, but then it is revealed that people living in the compound never learned the full story of Noah. It sparked an interesting discussion about dinosaurs, the flood, Noah, and exactly how all of that worked out.

This is a wild dinosaur ride that will keep you flipping pages to the end once you’re past that somewhat slow beginning. If you like Jurassic anything, you’re bound to enjoy The Ark Plan.

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BOOK REVIEW: TIME JUMPERS, Book #5 in Brandon Mull’s FIVE KINGDOMS Series

Waiting over a year for this final installment in the FIVE KINGDOMS series was difficult. So difficult. I wanted to find out what happened to Cole, Mira, Jace, and their friends. What would be the fate of the Outskirts as the evil torivor Ramarro threatened the existence of the Five Kingdoms and everyone living in them? As the year wore on, I wondered if the final book could live up to the incredible fantasy epic Mull had woven throughout the previous four books. But as I closed the last few pages with a lump in my throat, I can say, “He’s done it again.”


TIME JUMPERS, the final book in the FIVE KINGDOMS series picks up where book four left off, with Cole and his friends desperately racing toward an apocalyptic ending to the Outskirts, the place he has decided to call home, and the place many others do call home. TIME JUMPERS lives up to the hype of the series, and even though we had to wait a long time to finish out Cole’s story, it was worth the wait. Packed with adventure, mystery, crazy reveals, and moments I never saw coming, Brandon Mull’s latest puts every reader on the edge of their seats once again.

If you haven’t read any of the books in the series, starting with this one will definitely leave you lost as you try to catch up. I highly recommend going back to SKY RAIDERS and reading through from there. However, Mull does an excellent job reminding the reader what has happened previously with enough detail to jog the memory, but not so much that it bogs down this story.

The one weakness this series has is in the character development for Cole. He goes from a mainly altruistic boy who wants to save his friends to a very altruistic boy who wants to save an entire world. He learns some bravery along the way, but nothing that wasn’t already present in him from book one. Despite the lack of growth, the plot remains an incredible ride through action set pieces and far off locales I wish we could have explored even more.

TIME JUMPERS. Worth the wait. Worth the read.

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BOOK REVIEW: Shadow Chaser by Jerel Law

Back for a third entry, Jonah, Eliza, and Jeremiah Stone face their biggest trials yet in Shadow Chaser, book three in the Son of Angels series by Jerel Law.

Shadow Chaser takes off right where Fire Prophet, book two, left off with Jonah and his siblings at Angel School in New York City. Something evil is lurking in the shadows of the convent where the Quarterlings, part humans, part angelic Nephilim, have been living, studying, and growing closer to God. And coming up next? Mid-term exams that will test the Quarterlings in their skills and faith.

But Jonah Stone has other problems: he keeps hearing strange voices in the dark of night. A shadow seems to creep about in every corner. Not to mention that his face has now been covered in zits and all the other kids in the convent want nothing to do with him. Can Jonah figure out what’s happening in the dark before it overtakes them all?

This entry in the Son of Angels series is not necessarily my favorite of the three so far, but it’s still a good, fun read. Some readers may feel that this book is like an extended add-on to Fire Prophet, with a lot of the action centering around the Angel School in the convent. At times I kept wondering if things would get shaken up a bit, but they stayed pretty much on course until near the end. I won’t give anything away, but something happens at the end of this book that was truly shocking. I’m very interested to see where this story goes in the final book: Truth Runner.

Although parts of the plot feel like a redux, Jonah definitely has the most character development in this book. His life begins to resemble that of an Old Testament prophet, complete with the trials and temptations that came to many of those men and women of God. Jonah’s struggle with his friends feels very real to life, and he grows through the things happening to him rather than becoming vengeful.

Those who have followed Jonah thus far will enjoy Shadow Chaser, but newcomers would do best to go back to book one, Spirit Fighter. Jerel Law remains a solid author with some very different stories to tell. Definitely worth a read.

You can purchase this book on Amazon.com.

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BOOK REVIEW: Death Weavers by Brandon Mull

A year was a long time to wait for Five Kingdoms: Book 4: Death Weavers, but, a year wait does not disappoint when it comes to Brandon Mull. Mull’s signature high stakes fantasy adventure fills the pages of this next installment, and definitely leaves a few surprises for the very end that had me gasping at the last pages.

Cole and his friends have been through three of the five kingdoms in the Outskirts: Sambria, Elloweer, and the futuristic kingdom of Zeropolis. And now, they have finally ventured over into Necronum, the land of the dead. Apparitions appear frequently with slippery deals and valuable information. Hunters lick up their trail. And a mysterious fiery horse named the Mare has been sighted roaming the vast lands. When Cole’s friends fall prey to an evil entity, Cole must travel to the land inbetween the Outskirts and death and try to rescue his friends before they are separated from him for good this time.

Death Weavers felt very different from Mull’s other books, but also very similar in some ways. At this point, we have arrived at a bit of a formula for these Five Kingdoms books: find a princess, rescue the princess, and reunite her with her run-amuck power. While that structure is truly at the heart of this fourth book, there are also some other pieces at play. We finally discover more information about some of the evils lurking throughout the Outskirts, and we also learn more about what exactly has happened to bring Cole to these kingdoms. As usual, Mull is quite innovative when it comes to twisting up the typical fantasy tropes and make them into his own creations, giving us some of the most unique places in the five kingdoms yet.

However, Cole continues to remain something of a flat character. This is something I noted from previous installments in the series, and it is definitely true here. Cole has a bit of a character arc, but he feels much more typical than Seth and Kendra from Fablehaven or even Jason from Beyonders. There is something about Cole that seems to keep him stunted in character growth. Is the story still entertaining? Yes. Is it a page-turner? Oh yes. Is Cole someone worth rooting for? Sure…?

Fans of the previous books will love Death Weavers. Newcomers will definitely feel lost entering the series here, and it is really best to go back to Sky Raiders and start from there. Mull has set up some great conflicts for the last book in the series coming in another year, and it will be interesting to see how he ends up wrapping things up.

You can purchase this book on Amazon.com.

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Church and Chess

The chess board sat between us. Brown and beige plastic Queens and pawns sat scattered across the playing field. My granddad’s wrinkled fingers gripped the knight. He hopped diagonal and up a space, putting my King in checkmate. I leaned back and sighed as Granddad laughed.

“Gotta pay attention to those knights. They’re sneaky,” he chuckled.

I laughed too. And then Granddad grew more serious. “You still speaking to those kids at church?”

“Yep. It’s a lot of fun too.” I told him about the latest talk I had given to the group of grade schoolers at church. He sat back, French doors behind him, both hands clasped over his bald head. After I was finished, he leaned forward.

“You know, there’s something important you should remember. Always be careful when people talk about Jesus’ death on the cross, but don’t talk about the resurrection. That’s the most important part of the story.”

We would sit and talk like that for hours. About God, about life, about church and chess. We talked about so many different things over the years, I can barely remember them all. But that one day he told me to always remember the resurrection is one that has stuck in my mind for years.

Whenever you talk about the cross, talk about the resurrection too. Because it’s the most important part of the story.

When I sat down to work on Sparrowhawk, I knew I wanted to write about Easter. I also knew I wanted to write something that took place in the Middle Ages, and so I dug in to the research. I discovered that a certain Pope in the fifteenth century loved falconry. Because this Pope loved his falcon and took him nearly everywhere, the nuns throughout the Catholic Church took to falconry as well, bringing their birds into churches across Europe. The falcons, owls, and hawks became such a problem that the leaders of these churches had to tell the nuns to leave the birds in the convent.

A fun tale emerged with the adventure, danger, and settings I love. But something else began to emerge as well: the theme of resurrection. Jesus died on the cross so long ago in Ancient Rome, but that isn’t the end of the story. Jesus came back to life three days later, and now Jesus is alive. That’s what the Easter story is all about: the fact that Jesus defeated death and pain and suffering in that moment of triumph.

So when it came time to dedicate the book, only one person seemed to be the right option: William H. Stevenson, my granddad. He and I spent so much time together talking about Jesus and the Bible, and those memories are the ones I love holding on to.

Granddad passed away in 2014, but he didn’t pass into nothing. He passed into glory as the old spirituals used to say. He’s living in the presence of Jesus and soaking in the rays of His everlasting light.

This Easter, remember: the most important part of the story isn’t death. It’s life.